


Guardian

by blessende



Series: Searching for Levi [6]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Military, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-02
Updated: 2018-04-02
Packaged: 2019-04-17 07:32:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14184015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blessende/pseuds/blessende
Summary: When a guardian falls ill, someone else has to take up the mantle. Set in the Searching for Levi universe. Year 2007.





	Guardian

 

 

2007

 

GUARDIAN

 

 

The rookie rang the bell, letting Gale announce his arrival. Dressed in his trainee uniform— black slacks, green parka— Eren tapped the door frame listlessly. _Please be home, please be home,_ went the chant in his head, a head of seventeen years and a head that seemed to stay less on his shoulders these days. The door to apartment #1263 cracked open after what seemed like an eternity, revealing a man behind it. Levi gave the boy the suspicious once-over. As if Eren were the reincarnated slime that he'd cleaned from the floors last night. The older was dressed in a beige collar shirt with sleeves rolled to the elbows. It was untucked against the casual pants he wore at home. His hair was tousled as if he'd just rolled out of bed. In the two years, Eren had known him, the teenager hadn't seen the slightest signs of frowziness in the older man. And this unkempt version startled him. It made his guardian seem... more human and less of the demigod Eren had believed the man to be. The boy stared open-mouthed, having lost his train of thought.

'Are you going to stand there,' Levi paused to bring up a hand and coughed into it, wincing. '— and gawk at me all day, trooper?'

And there was Eren's second revelation for the day. Levi had coughed. You know… that belching sound one makes from the throat. The seventeen-year-old never saw him cough before either. Eren closed his mouth promptly and responded to Levi’s question by shaking his head while wondering discreetly about the other things that the man could do, things which defied the laws of the ordinary universe.

'Hey kid. What do you want?' Levi asked, his expression pinched. He covered his mouth with a hand. The voice sounded gruffer than usual. There was a crease in Eren's forehead as he tried to put two and two together.

'You didn't turn up at the training grounds today. I thought something might be...off,' Eren studied the man in the shadows.

Levi looked paler as well, and there was the reddish tinge of alcohol or...

'You're sick,' Eren concluded with a snap of his fingers (Earth boy, brilliant as always). 'You've got a fever. Whoa, you Titans are not as immune as I thought.'

Levi regarded him with a cold, unforgiving look.

'As adorable as you are, sunshine,' Levi said this sarcastically. 'I do have a job besides babysitting you. And I'm not sick. Can you go away now?'

But Eren was already trying to look past his head, trying to sneak a glance at the living room, and Eren saw them— the tissues littered over the glass table.

'Uh huh, you are sick, Lieutenant. I can help you, you know. Be the extra pair of hands around the house—' he tried to sidle past the superior and enter the man’s home.

But Levi raised a leg, planting the foot in the middle of his chest. His guardian gave a low bark, holding him off at the perimeter of the door. 'Stay back, you overgrown oaf,' Levi growled, his foot keeping Eren at bay. ( _Damn Spiderman bendiness_ , Eren thought). 'Go back to the training quarters. A man's home is his _sanctuary_ ,' Levi emphasized on that last word. 'I don't have the time to quarantine you either. And besides, I’ve already got a dog to do my bidding.'

Eren gave a scowl, not liking that comparison.

'I'm pretty sure your robodog can't cook or clean,’ he quipped.

Grey eyes showed a rare flash of impatience.

'Krobe can do everything _save_ for a lap dance,' his eyes turned narrow, and there was a sudden glint in them. 'Heh. If you're thinking about volunteering, I might reconsider.'

Eren felt his cheeks burning.

'No way!' he protested.

Levi smirked.

'As I expected. Since you can’t be useful, do us all a favour and scram,' he said in a low voice before breaking into a set of coughs again. The raven-haired man covered his mouth. Eren felt the foot on his body shake as Levi struggled to suppress the fits. 'It's… an order,' Levi warned breathlessly before retracting his leg from Eren's chest and slamming the door shut.

Eren was left alone in the silence of the hallway. His eyes traced the number of the apartment. Jokes apart, he realised he had been shut out again.

_Why—_

_Why won't you let me see it?_

_That weaker side of you._

_You don't have to be strong all the time. Hell, nobody can._

The brunet looked at the door sullenly, wondering if he ought to leave. That was until he noticed the house next door.

 

 

The neighbour Mrs Issoan “Izzy” Norman was a batty old lady with four cats: two of them droids— Jinxie and Cahoots, third with a dead battery called Maverick, and the fourth was a real, live breathing one. With sleek raven fur. Eren took an instant liking to the black cat, which sat huffy and dignified in a corner of the old neighbour's couch. It reminded him of the poker face next door. All it needed was a cravat, and Eren was sure Tabby McLevi would pass for the Lieutenant’s doppelganger.

Despite the peculiarity of his request, old Mrs Norman was kind enough to let him examine her balcony. And just as he’d predicted, it was adjacent to the Lieutenant’s bar a ten-feet space between them. He could try jumping over those ten feet, but it’d be a dangerous stunt. Much too dangerous without his gear or something to latch on to. He turned to Mrs. Norman, who was studying him curiously through her lopsided spectacles.

‘Ma’am, do you have rope?’

‘Rope? I’m afraid not.’ the woman said, shaking her head.

'Can I... uh, borrow your curtains then?' Eren asked her. And if his request wasn’t impudent enough, he decided to push his luck even further. Eren gave her his best boy scout smile. 'And a bowl of chicken soup, if you don’t mind?'

Mrs. Norman stared at him, wide-eyed.

'You're not thinking about leaping over to Levi's house, are you? We're on the twelfth floor,' she said pointing down. 'THE TWELFTH FLOOR!'

Eren nodded in perfect understanding.

The batty old neighbour realised that the boy was contemplating to do just that.

'But why? Are you an acquaintance of Levi? I didn't know that the man had friends. How are you related to him?'

A frown escaped Eren's lips.

How was he related to Levi? What was he to that man? Just an annoying brat who tumbled out of his bathtub? A puppy that needed taking care of? The slime under his boot? A potential lap dancer?

Eren gave a shudder at that last thought.

No, no way; he was so _not_ doing a lap dance for that jerk.

Though there was a small part of his hormone-challenged brain which wouldn't actually… _mind._

_No. Fuck, no. Where is your dignity, Jaeger?_

Eren realised Levi’s neighbour was still waiting for an answer. He shook his head glumly.

'Trust me, Mrs Norman... I am trying to figure that out myself.'

 

 

 

 

He landed in the balcony next door in a tangle of curtains and legs. Holding the flask under his elbow, Eren realised he’d lost a sneaker to the attempt. He watched the shoe tumble down the skyscraper into the swirls of misty clouds hanging to the building. Better a sneaker than him, he realised with a grimace. He got to his feet, untangling himself from Mrs Norman's drapes and peered over the ledge of the balcony, giving a fleeting look to the ground below.

Okay.

Note to self.

Never do that again.

Those ten feet were the closest he'd come to taunting death. He limped on his one sneaker, one sock and strode over to the glass doors. The blinds were pulled over. Biting the inside of his cheek, the brunet tried the latch to the double doors.

Locked.

Just great.

All that trouble for _nothing_.

Eren folded himself on the ground, wondering what exactly he was doing here. And not just here in the general sense of the word. Why did he keep coming back to Levi's apartment like a stray pup? Even though Keith Shadis had issued multiple warnings to the effect that Eren would be in deep shit if he breaks out of bounds again. Even though he'd barely escaped being classified as a troublemaker by the Titan State. Even though Levi himself had personally threatened to dismember and disembowel him if Eren showed up at his apartment. (On retrospect, Levi was always threatening him, and Eren always flouting the rules.)

So why indeed?

Of course, he knew the reason.

 _Admit it, Eren. It's all because you want to give that pokerface a lap dance_ , suggested a lewd voice in his head.

_Dammit no. Shut up, brain._

Eren realised he had company. A small figure stuck its head through the vertical, white blinds. It sniffed a trail around the edge of the glass doors and sat down before him on its hind legs. Eren recognised the metallic snout sticking out. Krobe was the droid incarnation of a rottweiler pup. It was watching him through the glass, its beady red eyes narrow and gleaming in the darkness of Levi’s apartment.

 _And so, we meet again,_ the mutt greeted with a snort.

Eren glared at the droid and guided its attention to the latch.

'Can you open that, robodog?'

Krobe gave a huff and perked one ear up. _'You askin' me, punk? And why would I wanna help you, you sleazy human?'_

Eren crept close to the glass and shook a finger in its face.

'Krobe,' the brunet said. 'Your master is sick. He is DYING,' Eren said overdramatically. 'He needs help right away. Pronto.'

Krobe gave another snort at that, and Eren felt the overwhelming urge to throttle the little devil spawn.

No, he had to keep at it. He could do this. He could convince the stubborn mutt into letting him in.

'What if he really dies?' Eren asked, deciding to guilt trip the poor mongrel. 'What if he dies and you've got no one to fend for you? Who will refill your oil tank? Who will take you out for a walk? There’d be no one for you to welcome home. Imagine that, Krobe. _No one,_ ’ Eren stressed, eyes wide, putting his own flair for drama into the act. ‘If he dies, what happens to you, huh? You’ll just get sold to the scrapyard, buddy. And if your master dies, will you be able to live the rest of your days with the guilt of having let him down? WILL YOU?'

Eren Jaeger wasn't sure if he got through to the droid mutt. But he realised he did have a penchant for drama. The brunet buried his face in his hands and sniffled, hoping the droid's fuzzy logic would buy his act.

And then, Eren counted the seconds with baited breath.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four—

He heard a click.

Eren broke into a grin as the door slid open.

Atta boy.

 

 

 

The first order of things was to get his numero uno adversary out of the way. Eren locked Krobe up in the wiring closet, where the droid dog barked, furious at being thus betrayed, and stewed in indignation at being treated like a sack of potatoes. It growled and nipped at him until Eren closed the door to the wiring closet. He heard it scratching the closet's four walls in a low whine.

Eren was half worried that the man sleeping in the living room would wake up from all the commotion.

The boy tiptoed across to the room and glanced over the sides of the couch.

He needn’t have worried.

With an elbow rolled over his face, Levi was sunk among the cushions, exhausted and dead asleep. And he did look unwell. Eren placed Mrs Norman's flask on the table, and quietly, as quietly as he could, he folded himself in the space between the coffee table and the couch. And in that alien apartment in an alien land, Eren Jaeger chose to wait. For what, he couldn’t really say. He watched the dark-haired man in the silence, the teenager's eyes traveling from the arch of the nose to that sharply defined jaw. This private moment was something new. He could study the man in luxury— the slow rise and fall of Levi’s chest, the creases in the shirt and those rough, bony hands.

Was the Lieutenant dreaming? What kind of dreams did the man have? Were they pleasant? Nightmares?

There were many things that baffled Eren about his guardian. Like why he insisted on being alone and aloof, carrying his burdens by himself. Like why there were rumours of him being possibly demoted, of Eren’s guardian being stripped of rank and honour. Levi never talked about himself or his reasons. And even when Levi made decisions, he asked his subordinates to trust him implicitly. Though Eren had seen the self-doubt flicker in those grey eyes, impassive though they may seem. And yet, to the members of his special op. squad, he was still their indisputable leader.

It was as if… his comic superhero had walked out of the pages.

A hero with his faults, undoubtedly.

But still a hero.

And a reluctant one.

And one whom Eren could not ignore or leave alone, try as he might.

Eren kept a hand on the arm rest and leaned forward, hovering over the man’s face. The thin, dour lips were exposed to him. And Eren felt inclined to plant a kiss on them. If his guardian chose to wake up now, Eren was sure he’d be skewered, disembowelled and probably dismembered too.

But it would be a great way to go.

He leaned in, halfway through his exploit… when Gale interrupted.

Eren drew back with a hiss, startled.

_Stupid network._

It was a message from Petra.

'Lieutenant, we received intelligence report on an insurgent bot in Brianne District. We're assembling the squad, and we will await further orders. Please respond when you receive this message.'

Eren squeezed his eyes shut, anticipating the man on the couch to wake up and throttle him.

But the silence remained.

Eren opened one eye and risked a glance at the couch.

Levi was still asleep.

Eren smiled. The boy pulled off his parka and put it around the man's shoulders.

_Let me take care of you… for once._

 

 

 

 

Levi woke up to a cold draft in the room. He sat up against the armrest, grey eyes wandering to the clock on the wall. It was three in the evening, which meant he had slept for a whole, bleeding hour. His attention flickered to the flask on the table. It sat innocuous on the glass, an object hard to miss... since the Lieutenant was sure there had been no flasks in his company before. He grabbed a tissue paper and pressing it over the lid, he picked up the flask daintily as if he were handling a nuclear bomb that could explode any time. Considering the enemies that he had— both old and new, both inside and outside the State— he had every reason to be cautious.

Levi sniffed around the flask's lid.

 _Soup_ , he realised in faint surprise.

Just harmless soup.

And what the hell was soup doing in his house?

Then, there were the other signs.

There was the sound of muffled barking from the realms of the wiring closet. There was the cold draft in the house, which Levi attributed to the balcony doors left carelessly open. And then, there was the green parka wrapped around him.

Levi gave a soft sigh.

It all screamed just one name.

Eren.

Eren Jaeger.

Troublemaker extraordinaire.

In the last two years, Rivaille had changed his locks thrice. Threatened the boy with excruciating pain if he ever dared to cross into Levi's comfort zone (which the boy did time and again). Levi also strived to keep their interactions to the bare minimum of lunches and status reports on the training. And yet, Eren was truly turning into the unpredictable element the State had pigeonholed him as.

So, if the brat had managed to sneak in... where _was_ he?

Levi looked around the empty apartment, and his sharp gaze caught an anomaly in the order of his world. The light was switched on in the kitchen, and it looked like someone had gone through the refrigerator.

No, no... Levi thought as he pushed himself off the couch and trudged his way to it. The benefits of the afternoon siesta were already leaving him.

He opened the fridge, and sure enough, his ammunition was missing. The gun was gone, so were his blade hilts. He turned sharp and walked to the wardrobe in his bedroom. Here, Levi found his riot control uniform taken as well. Jaeger had been thorough in his pilferage.

That fucking moron.

'Gale,' Levi called out to the network while running a hand over his undercut. 'Replay the last five messages,' he said into the silence of 1263.

 

 

 

 

Oluo Bozado was sitting in the cruiser, shuffling his deck of cards absentmindedly. Perhaps, that wasn't the whole truth. His mind was not really wandering as it was inclined to on most days. For he was watching a gingerhead in the distance. Ginger, auburn, chestnut brown, he was often caught at crossroads when it came to describing the actual colour of her hair. Petra was standing outside the cruiser, going through the blueprint of the grounds with Erd and Gunther. She tucked a strand of her hair behind one ear, and the woman pointed out the exits on the subway map. Brianne district was known for its notorious, labyrinthine network of tunnels, and it was no surprise that the guerrilla bot had taken to hiding inside the maze.

'Guys, it could be anywhere between the emergency stairs to platform four,' Petra said, tracing a line on the map. Ah, there was the confidence and feistiness, he so admired. Oluo was able to hear her through the comm. And he gave a small smile. Petra Ral was all seriousness on the outside but without the Lieutenant present, he could mark the edginess in her tone. And yet, Oluo found the woman's voice soothing to the ears. Petra could talk about Titan's weather and he would still want to mollycoddle her. She could lecture him on how creepy he was, and Oluo would still adore that gingerhead. By Jove, she could even talk about the Lieutenant, and Oluo would still patiently listen. Because Oluo Bozado was a sappy romantic, and he could do little about it.

Erd cleared his throat, interrupting Petra's observation. 'Any casualties yet?' the man with the pony tail asked, fingering the good luck charm that he always wore around his neck. A memento from the wife, apparently.

Oluo sighed.

How he would like to get married himself and settle down. Except there was a certain lassie in his life who was still hung up on her idol.

Petra shook her head in reply to Erd's question. 'No civilians yet. But the droid's owner was found strangled this morning.'

'The owner?' dark haired Gunther echoed with a frown.

Petra nodded, forcing her eyes back to the subway blueprint. 'That's what intelligence says. They're checking the surveillance cameras on the subway for a facegrab. It's an INSbot, guys.'

Both men pulled a face.

Even Oluo grimaced upon hearing it, a sour expression flitting across his aged features. The years had not been kind to Bozado unlike some others. Though, he was younger than Lt. Levi, people often mistook Oluo to be the older one. And while Oluo would not give a rat's ass about what most people thought, it did bother him that Petra felt the same way. He wondered if he’d have received even a sliver of Petra Ral's attention had Oluo looked more pleasing to the eyes.

Just notice me already, you bonny lass, Oluo muttered under his breath. I'm not getting any younger.

He sighed and looked at the tiny telescreen in the cruiser.

An INSbot.

It wasn't surprising. Titan's population had a skewered gender ratio, favouring the male child. The State's resolution to the gender crisis was to allow the flourish of the recreational droid industry. Which was a fancy name for robot sex.

Filthy, Oluo thought. _Rotten, disgusting minds. Yuck, yuck, yuck._

He stuck a cigarette into his mouth and lit it, his wrinkled eyes growing mellow as he watched Petra again.

He wondered how in the world a machine could replace the caring heart of a good woman. A good woman who could have your breakfast ready for you in the morning with a cheerful, upbeat smile. Though Oluo harboured a notion that Petra Ral was probably terrible in the kitchen. But that was alright. If his bonny lass couldn't have toast and scrambled eggs ready for him and even if she wasn't a morning person, he would still want to wake up to that face every morning rather than a stupid machine's.

Oluo's soliloquy was interrupted by the knock on the cruiser's window. He turned and found a form in riot control uniform standing outside. Oluo rolled down the window but the figure made no motion to remove its helmet. Oluo recognised the uniform.

‘L-Lieutenant? Is that you?' Oluo asked, putting away his cigarette quickly.

The masked figure nodded and answered with a thumbs-up.

Oluo narrowed his eyes. Since when did the Lieutenant speak in sign language? What was next? A high five? A fist bump? He gave an involuntary shiver at the very idea.

'Sir... a-are you alright?' Oluo asked, growing suspicious. 'I heard you were not feeling well.'

The figure stiffened.

And it spoke in a voice that did not sound anything like the Lieutenant's, lacking the characteristic roughness of their leader. Maybe it was the fever talking.

'Yeah, yeah, I'm fine... uh, _shithead_ ,' came the overtly gruff answer. 'What's the situation, Bozado?'

Oluo frowned and pointed to the telescreen in the cruiser.

'A homicidal INSbot is hiding in the Subway, sir. Military Police wanted our assistance. Or rather they pushed the case on to us.'

There was a small silence.

'Something wrong, sir?' Oluo asked the man outside.

'A homicidal... what?'

Oluo's suspicions deepened. He looked at the dark helmet, wondering if the man was trying to pull his leg. The Lieutenant not paying attention to a conversation? Was the world coming to an end? Was the dwarf sun finally fizzling out?

'An INSbot, sir. Are you... really fine?'

The Lieutenant gave a nod and dismissed his concern with a wave.

'I'm heading in,' the man said, pointing to the subway entrance.

Oluo's eyes widened.

'Whoa. But sir, what about the rest of the squad?'

'No need, trooper. I can take care of the fucker myself. I'm uh, humanity's strongest, aren't I?'

Before Oluo could alert the others, the figure in the riot control uniform bounded off, jogging down the subway steps. Now, that Bozado squinted hard at the disappearing form, the Lieutenant looked taller than he usually did... as if the man had grown a few inches overnight.

Nah

He must have imagined it.

He saw Petra shuffle over to the cruiser, her ears pressed to her wrist watch. Petra looked a little shaken.

'Oluo,' she hissed. 'The Lieutenant just called. He is running a little late and he asked us to be on the lookout for Eren. Who were you talking to just now?'

Oluo's eyes widened. He looked at the subway entrance through which the masked figure had disappeared. The man scowled.

_Oh, that shitty brat._

 

 

 

 

Eren didn't know what the hell had come over him. He wasn't sure what surprised him more. That he had actually stolen Levi's uniform and gear. Or the fact that no one had noticed anything suspicious about him yet. He took off his dark helmet, thankful for the tinted visor which had hidden his face. Tucking it under his elbow, the seventeen-year-old walked down the length of the subway. It was a good thing that Levi kept a riot control uniform around. The black commando suit had come in extremely handy. Eren doubted he'd have fit into his guardian’s army attire.

An INSbot, huh? Eren repeated out loud, his steps ricocheting off the empty subway floor. The Military Police had cordoned off the entire subway to let the PeaceCorps do the dirty work.

So, he was up against an INSbot, whatever the hell that was. Eren wished he had paid better attention in class. He steeled his resolve. He didn't know what category this droid was supposed to be… But he will find it and he will eliminate it, Eren pledged in silence.

He walked down the stretch of the platform, passing exits numbered one to four. The nuclear-powered lights flickered above him, and suddenly, he had the uncanny feeling that he was being followed. But when Eren turned to glance behind him, there was nothing there. Not a soul. Nor any machine.

With the tiny hairs standing at the back of his neck, Eren resumed his walk down the subway platform again, slower this time. He eyed the numerous vending machines attached to the walls. The constant whirr and tinkering chaffed him, grating on his nerves. Before a thrift store, an automated mannequin waved at him, and Eren's hand went instinctively to his holster. To the gun he wasn’t even authorized to carry. The mannequin smiled and did not seem offended.

No, this one was just a friendly.

Eren let out a deep breath, relaxed and staggered on through the lonely tunnel of Titan's subway system.

And that’s when he heard it.

The footsteps behind him.

Small, jittery steps.

Eren took out Levi's Ruger P87 from the holster and turning around, he aimed it at the shadow tailing him.

He started in surprise.

There was a small girl standing on the platform, just ten feet away. She was wearing a lace pink frock, her one hand curled around a teddy bear. She looked at the barrel of the gun and tilted her head, staring curiously at it.

Eren pulled down the gun sheepishly.

'Sorry. I’m so sorry. Uh, did I... scare you?' he asked her.

The girl was a small child, barely five years old.

She shook her head in answer.

'What's your name?' asked Eren as he took measured steps towards the child. She didn’t tell him, and Eren sank on one knee before her. Was she scared? Was she lost and searching for her mother? Her almond eyes were a startling onyx, and her hair strawberry blonde.

Eren frowned as his gaze dipped to a bleeding gash on her right knee.

'You're hurt, kiddo. You’re not supposed to be here, y’know. This area is supposed to be cordoned off.'

Eren heard footsteps and the unmistaken sound of cables whistling in the subway's silence. He spotted Petra emerging at the end of the platform.

'EREN! STEP BACK! GET AWAY from it!' she screamed, eyes narrow and furious. She stood her ground, her eyes wavering between the child and him.

Eren flinched and curled an arm around the little girl to protect her. The child mirrored him and wrapped her small, cold arms around his neck. Her head nuzzled against his cheek.

'Get away? From what? What are you talking about, Petra—' he demanded in confusion.

The auburn-haired woman glared at him.

'That thing in your arms, Jaeger!'

Eren gave her an exasperated look and rolled his eyes. 'Oh, c’mon, Petra. She isn't a threat—'

But Eren never finished what he’d intended to say. The little girl had wrapped her hands tight around his neck. Tight enough to choke. She squeezed him, making his breath hitch, and he turned to her in shock. Eren realised belatedly how cold her small body was. He watched as she opened her little mouth, and he could see the velvet inside. Not the velvet of a mouth but of satin and a serpentine tongue.

'Jaeger!' he heard Petra yell. 'GET AWAY FROM HER! She strangled her last owner.'

But Eren felt his air supply go thin; his vision became cloudy. There were dots in his eyes, and his heart thudded in his temple. The girl pushed him to the ground, straddling his chest and her small fingers pressed harder on his neck, trying to squeeze the life out of him. The brunet grabbed the girl's hands, grappling to pull her off. But the girl was strong. Hideously strong.

Like a machine.

Wait, she _was_ a machine.

_Fuck._

Why didn't he see this coming?

Eren saw a blinding shape in the air above him, like a hawk's shadow against the subway lights.

'EREN!' growled a familiar voice. 'Don't move!' the voice urged, and Eren saw the man swoop down. The demigod's aim was precise as always. His slice was a clean cut, and the droid's head separated in a cloud of smoke and electric sparks. The decapitated head of the android rolled in the dirt, coming to a discreet stop under a vending machine.

Eren felt the fingers on his neck go limp.

The headless body of the child convulsed before slipping sideways. It tipped over and lay there in a graveyard silence.

With his lungs battling for air, Eren stared at the furious man standing over him.

 

 

 

 

Levi said nothing on the way back.

Though Oluo Bozado made up for it in plenty.

Oluo called him a 'reckless teenager', a 'spoilt brat', a 'blot on the face of humanity' and a bunch of other unkind titles Eren didn't really want to remember right now. Petra glowered at him the entire time, her arms crossed over her bullet proof vest. Erd and Gunther decided to have a quiet smoke together, though Eren could see them regarding him with distrust.

Of course, Levi said nothing. His placid expression alone filled the lacuna of words.

When they'd returned to Levi's apartment and had slunk through the front door, he watched as the Lieutenant tossed the keys to the TJ on to the counter. The shorter man broke into a fit of dry coughs and sat down on the couch, breathing heavy. Though the seventeen-year-old wasn't sure if it was from the reigning fever or the anger. Levi turned to look at Eren, his gaze scathing and cold.

On cue, Eren gulped and zipped out of his riot control uniform. He folded the suit and placed it on the counter, trying to be as neat as he could. He placed the ammo beside it and then, turned to face his guardian.

They considered each other in the blue grey shadows of the apartment, Levi having not taken the effort to call the lights on. The silence bore upon the teenager more heavily than the words of Oluo Bozado.

Eren felt his throat go dry.

'Why... aren't you saying anything?' he finally said, breaking the silence. 'Go ahead and scold me. If it makes you feel better.'

'No,’ came the man’s stinging reply. ‘Words are wasted on you.’

Eren squeezed his eyes shut, struggling to defend himself.

‘I was only trying to help—'

Levi gave a low growl, cutting him short. 'Do you even realise the consequence of your actions, you moron? If you want to put yourself in danger, go right ahead, Jaeger. You'll be one lesser trouble for me to worry about. But don't ever fuck with my team again. I'm responsible for their lives, knucklehead. You get that?'

Eren opened his eyes and nodded, running a hand over one elbow sheepishly.

'Y-Yes, I understand.'

Levi pulled a face at him.

'Sir,' the man corrected.

'Yes, I understand, sir,' amended Eren quickly. The boy bit the side of his cheek, feeling just a little remorseful. 'Look. I'm sorry,' he finally admitted, his eyes fixed on the floor.

Levi gave the brunet a sharp look.

'You're _sorry_?' Levi asked him, an incredulous vein in his tone. He scoffed and shook his head. A shadow passed over his features before he met Eren’s gaze. 'Alright, trooper. Let's see whether you really understand what you're sorry about. Grab your ears.'

Eren looked up and gaped at him.

'Grab my what?'

'Your _ears_. Don’t make me repeat a second time, Jaeger.'

Eren caught his earlobes between his fingers before the man lost his temper.

Levi smirked, amused by this prompt obedience on his ward’s part. 'Good. Now give me ten squats and tell me all the mistakes you made today. Loudly. And you better repent for all of them while you're at it.'

Eren looked at his superior in disbelief. This was beyond degrading. This was humiliation of the most demeaning nature.

'Levi, I—' he began to protest.

Levi gave him a cold glare. He didn't entertain any arguments. Not when he was meting out punishments.

'I'm not seeing any squatting, soldier,' he remarked, voice sounding strained.

'Fine,' Eren relented with a sigh and taking a deep breath, he went down reluctantly for the first crouch.

'I'm sorry that I lied to your team...' Eren apologised out loud, fingers still on his ears. 'I promise I won't do it again,' he announced as he stood back up on his feet.

Levi sank against the couch. His attention locked on the telescreen in the living room, boredom evident on his pallid face. In the faint light, he lifted a hand and gestured mutely that Eren should continue.

Eren went down for the next squat.

'I'm sorry that I broke into your apartment, sir. I will try to ring the doorbell next time.'

Levi snorted, clearly not believing a word of it.

'I'm sorry I locked up Krobe,' said Eren, sticking his tongue out. 'But your dog was asking for it.'

Levi gave a low, resounding sigh that reverberated through the hollow apartment.

Eren kept his gaze steady on the man.

'I'm sorry for lying to your neighbours. I lied to Mrs Norman and told her that you're into BDSM.'

There was a small pause. Levi turned to him sharp, and his face registered shock for the first time. _What?_

Eren fought the instinct to smile.

Squat number five.

'I'm sorry for being a troublemaker.'

Levi looked at him straight and locked the boy's turquoise green eyes in a cold stare. _Without a doubt, sunshine. Without a doubt._

Eren smiled and returned a slow nod.

'I'm sorry that I am just an Earthborn. And I still don't understand your world. Especially why a droid was built in the likeness of a little girl, and how she ever became a threat to society.'

Levi gave a shrug here. He grabbed the flask on the coffee table, twisted the lid off and took a sip from it. It was surprisingly still warm.

'Why, you ask?’ he said, interrupting Eren. ‘That's because you are clueless and still attached to your morals. You must be ruthless if you want to survive here in Titan. Carrying your sentiments won't help, trooper.'

Eren gave a curt nod. He winced as he went down for the seventh sit up; his legs were beginning to ache.

'I'm sorry I pretended to be you, sir. Though your shoes are too big to fill and your uniform short.'

Levi gave him another icy glare and took another sip of the soup, watching the boy over the rim. Something passed between them. A flicker of understanding, perhaps. His grey eyes never leaving the brunet, Levi returned the flask to the table.

'Go on,' Levi urged. ‘We’re not done yet.’

Eren nodded and with a heave, went for the eighth.

'I'm sorry for almost dying. But believe me, I try not to.'

Levi remained silent, the tension from his shoulders easing.

Eren took a deep breath and resumed.

'I'm sorry that I care about you. But I don't think I can stop feeling that way.'

There was a strained silence, and the brunet kept his eyes low, almost afraid to look up.

Eren went down for the last sit up, bending his knees. He raised himself on his feet, and dropped the fingers from his earlobes. He met Levi's gaze with steel like determination in his own.

'I'm sorry that I want to carry and protect you. Even if you don't want me to.'

Eren let the silence consume them.

Levi was watching him, there was something inscrutable in his eyes. What was the man thinking? What was the answer he would choose to give?

The grey eyed quasi Napolean motioned to the things spread on the counter.

'Put them back in their right places and leave,' said Levi, before lying down on the couch and rolling an elbow over his face.

What a bummer, Eren thought to himself. Is that all you're gonna say, Levi?

But he nodded. Because Eren Jaeger was a soldier, and he knew that the other man was his guardian, his senior. And that was it. That was all their relationship could ever be. He moved to the counter, crestfallen, struggling with the maelstrom of guilt and hurt in his chest, and he began arranging the things to order.

And then, much to his surprise, the Lieutenant called his name.

'Eren...'

The boy froze and then turned to him warily.

'Sir?'

'Thanks for the soup.'

The words took a moment to register. 

And when they did, Eren beamed, breaking into a slow grin.

'You're welcome,' he said brightly.

 

 

 

 

When Eren was done restoring the house to the way it used to be (and rescued Krobe from the evil clutches of the wiring closet), he returned to the living room to find his guardian fast asleep. Eren placed a ginger hand over the man's forehead and was grateful to find the fever to have subsided. He went into the bedroom and returned with a blanket. He draped the sleeping man in its warmth and knelt beside the couch.

With a sigh, he watched Levi and the dark furrows under his eyes.

Eren swept away the bangs from the man's face.

He was suddenly reminded of a lullaby his mother used to sing to him as a child. He stooped low, and he didn’t really know why… if it was mischief or a dare, but something spurred him to recite that old lullaby to the man’s ear.

 

_Hush, Little Baby, don't say a word,_

_Papa's gonna buy you a mockingbird._

_And if that mockingbird won't sing,_

_Papa's gonna buy you a diamond ring._

 

Eren almost laughed at that image. Careful to not wake up the sleeping man, Eren grew brave enough to trace a finger along the cheekbones. A featherlight touch, barely noticeable. The man's skin was always pale as if he had lived on a frigid land, deprived of sunlight his entire life. The boy from earth forgot about Titan's dwarf sun at times. Eren traced past the nose to the upper lip, his finger coming to a pause at that taboo place. There it was, that foul mouth of his guardian. But under the dark hues of dusk, Eren found nothing more enticing than those lips.

 

_And if that diamond ring turns brass,_

_Papa will kiss your mouth so fuckin' crass._

 

Without heeding to the apprehensions in his head, Eren bent down to press his mouth against the man's jaw and lingered there, as long as he could, watching the adam's apple twitch in Levi's throat. He grew braver still, and in a spirit of his old self, he lifted his brown head, hovered over the parted mouth and brushed his lips against the surly ones below. Just a taste. A nip. It would suffice for now, he knew. The man didn't stir; his breathing was warm and steady like the waves of the blue oceans back home... while Eren's own emotions remained turbulent.

Eren finished the lullaby against those lips, his gaze softening.

 

_And if this kiss doesn't lead anywhere..._

_You'll still be the hero in my care._

 

When he finally drew back (or rather forced himself to), Eren put a hand to his mouth and stifled the urge to yell 'Score!'.

Yes!

_Yesssssssss!_

He did it!

Eren grinned triumphantly and retreated to the door. After one last look at the man asleep on the couch, he closed the door as gently as he could. There was a click, and the auto lock set in.

1263, the number plate said.

He looked long at it and with a heavy sigh, turned away from the apartment.

Eren Jaeger met Mrs Norman's black cat in the hallway. It was looking at him perceptively. _Oooh, I know what you just did in there, pussy. And you will rot in hell for that,_ it seemed to be telling him. Stopping briefly to shake its paw and give a mock salute to the little beast, he forced himself to return to the loneliness of the training corp quarters.

In the living room of an apartment, in a house that smelled faintly of Helumbary, Levi placed a hand over his face, wondering if the warmth in his face was a residue of the fever.

_Eren... that didn't even sound like a legit lullaby._

_You idiot,_ he muttered under his breath. _Taking advantage of a sick man._

He remembered the boy's pledge, the words echoing in the dark abyss of his mind.

 

_I want to carry and protect you. Even if you don't want me to._

 

Levi wondered who was the real guardian in this contrived relationship. He drifted back to sleep in the sojourn warmth of the blanket around him, in the sojourn warmth of a certain Eren Jaeger.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The golden sun, in splendour likest Heaven

Allured his eye, Thither his course he bends,

By his magnetic beam, that gently warms

The universe, and to each inward part,

With gentle penetration, though unseen,

Shoots invisible virtue even to the deep,

So wondrously was his station set bright.

Book III, Paradise Lost, Milton

 

* * *

 

 


End file.
